I've gotten suggestions from a few friends regarding my dinner-time insanity mentioned in a recent post - and a couple comments from other working moms that they have the same difficulty with their evenings. One suggestion was that I prep something in the crock-pot to cook all day, that would be ready with little or no preparation when we get home in the evenings.
I LOVE crock-pot cooking. A favorite is a roast (I put it in frozen), with spices, cut-up onions and carrots. Another favorite, in the winter, is chili. I also used my crock-pot a lot while I was on leave and home with the little ones from late January thru mid-April. I would prepare dinner during nap-time and leave it to cook all afternoon. I even have two "Fix It And Forget It" cookbooks that my mom got me - she was the cookbook queen!
My problem is finding a variety of recipes that can sit for 10-12 hours, since I typically leave home around 7 am, and we sit down to eat anywhere from 5:15 to 6:15 pm. It doesn't work very well when most of the recipes I find are for 4-6 hours - and I hate wasting a yummy recipe if it's overcooked.
So...here's my idea. Would you be willing to share your favorite busy-mom recipe(s)?
Something that can be left in the crock-pot for 10-12 hours? (Don't forget to include what size crock-pot it works best in.)
How about a favorite baking-dish recipe that can easily be made ahead, refrigerated and/or frozen, and then baked for 30-60 minutes? (Remember to include instructions for storage/freezing/thawing.)
Or, a quick one-dish meal, that doesn't require a lot of prep-work - just dump, mix and go-type meals?
I'd love to try some of your favorites!
I'll start with a one-dish dump, mix and go, courtesy of my friend Krista:
Veggie Tortellini Soup
5-6 C chicken broth
12-oz pkg tortellini
16-oz pkg California mix frozen vegetables
15-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tortellini and vegetables are tender. Optional: Add browned ground sausage and/or fresh spinach to the soup. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
4 comments:
Lisa, I have tried several of the recipes on this blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ and they are delicious. I love my crockpot too and use it as much as possible on rainy days when I can't grill and all winter long. I'm sure you will find some you like here. ~Lori
one other thing...make sure you read her comments about the size of crockpot to use etc under Popular posts along the right column so that things don't cook too fast.
I was just going to leave you the crockpot 365 address. Looks like somebody beat me to it. I use stuff of of there all the time. She gives reviews of what she's made which is nice so if it's a flop, she tells you. And it's organized by catagories so you can find things pretty easily.
Here's a link to a recipe we like...
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cabbage-Patch-Stew-3
I don't use crock pots often, but here are some other pre-prep and quicker cook ideas.
Quiche
1 c ham, 3/4c. vegetable (we like frozen spinach), 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, 1T. onion if desired, 2 c. milk, 4 eggs, splash of tabasco, 1/2c ww flour,2 t. baking powder. Combine ingredients with mixer, put in greased deep dish pie pan or casserole, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until light brown and set. Serve with fruit. This can also be pre-mixed and frozen.
Sloppy joes are a quick idea too. You can pre-mix this and even just reheat.
We like grilled pizza too, super quick if meat if pre-cookied. For this I make a pizza crust (1pkg yeast or 2 t. yeast, 1 cup of warm water, 1/2 t salt, 2 t. olive oil, 2 cups white flour, 1-2 cups of whole wheat or until dough can be handled). It does not need to rise. I individualize the dough per person, so this usually makes five 6 inch pizzas. I put it directly on the grill, on low for just a couple minutes. Then the cooked side is topped like a regular pizza and put back on the grill for a couple minutes on low until cheese is melted. Quicker than a frozen pizza!
We grill a lot too, marinade the meat during the day and grill at night. Serve all with frozen veggies or salad.
Homemade Chicken Fingers
Sliced chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders, in longer strips and chunks (try to be somewhat consistent with size). Roughly 4 breasts for this recipe.
Pour 2 cups of buttermilk in gallon bag and add in strips of chicken.
Drain the milk and transfer to a zip lock bag containing the following: 2 cups of bread crumbs, 1 cup crushed corn flakes, 1 T. paprike, some salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder if your family likes.
Shake chicken in this and place on sprayed boiler pan, bake at 400 for 5 minutes per side. These can also be pre-made and freeze by placing spaced on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Then just pull out premade ones to fit needs. Serve with frozen veggies.
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